Two-part clamp for attaching illuminating means to gun sights



March 27, 1951 R. E. STINSON TWO-PART CLAMP FOR ATTACHING ILLUMINATING MEANS TO GUN SIGHTS Filed Nov.

Inventor Roe/f E. Sfinson Patented Mar. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES PTENT OFFICE TWO-PART CLAMP FOR ATTACHING ILLU- MINATING DIEAN S TO GUN SIGHTS Robert E. Stinson, Galion, Ohio Appiication November 6, 1947, Serial No. 784,437

3 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to a gun barrel attachment embodying a source of illumination and ways and means to confine and focus light rays therefrom on a front sight in a manner sufficient to enable said sight to be employed, with reasonable accuracy, under adverse sighting conditions.

There are times, when one is hunting at night or at dusk, when the conditions of existing natural light are such that efiective sighting is almost impossible. This is particularly true when the gunner seeks to aim and fire from thick woods, underbrush and the like. Because of such circumstances I have devised a gun barrel attachment wherein a source of artificial light, such as from a flashlight or the like, handily illuminates the front sight with sufiicient eifectiveness that it may be satisfactorily employed, that is, where the object being shot at, is fairly well visible.

It will be seen from the foregoing, that I am full well aware that flashlight batteries have been built into special encasing attachments and have been used in divers ways for fulfilling the requirements ofilluminators in the class under advisement. In carrying out the principles of the present invention I have devised a barrel sight illuminator attachment, wherein novelty is predicated, primarily, upon the details of construction. To this end, one object of the invention is to provide a battery holder and light rays directing unit, same being provided with satisfactory clamping members whereby it may be effectively perched upon the barrel within the vicinity of the sight, and readily applied or removed.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a plastic body, which has a socket forming a receptacle for a dry cell and also having coacting depending wall portions in opposed relation definin an open-ended tunnel which houses the gun sight and confines the projected light rays effectively on said sight. Another object of the invention is to provide a simple closing plug for the battery-holding receptacle which is conveniently constructed and arranged to facilitate switching the source of light on and off, as desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide simple and effective clamping means carried by and depending from said plastic body and readily and conveniently attachable to the gun barrel.

Other objects and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying illustrative drawing.

In the drawings. wherein like numerals are 2 employed to designate like parts throughout the views:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a fragmentary portion of the gun barrel, showing the improved gun sight illuminator attachment in place;

Figure 2 is a view on an enlarged scale, showing the attachment with parts in section and elevation, the gun barrel being fragmentarily shown;

Figure 3 is a rear end elevation, that is, a view observing the attachment device from the inner end of the barrel;

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings by distinguishing reference characters, the gun barrel is denoted at A, the stock at B and the bead-type gun sight, that is, the front sight, by the reference character C.

The illuminator attachment comprises a plastic unit, with the source of light included therein, which is generally denoted by the numeral 6, and clamping means for said unit, generally denoted by the numeral 1.

The unit 6 comprises what may be identified as a body portion 8 whose major part is fashioned into a holder for a flashlight. More specifically, this part is a cylindrical receptacle 9 which is open and internally screw-threaded at the righthand end in Figure 2, and tapered and closed at the left-hand end as at I ll. A dry cell battery 5 l is fitted into the receptacle 3 and at the lefthand end, has contact with a suitable flashlight bulb l2, a coiled spring I 3 being interposed between the bulb and battery to normally separate the two and break the circuit. A screw plug [4 is fitted into the opposite end of the receptacle and this abuts the battery and serves to slide same in or out for opening and closing the circuit, in an obvious manner. The plu is op erated by a knurled finger-grip [5 having an indicator arrow l5, which is registrable with either of the on or off lugs I! and I8 respectively. The light-beam is projected through a restricted diagonal passage l9 within the vicinity of the bulb and into a passageway or tunnel 20, defined by opposed parallel curvate walls 2| and 22. The opposed longitudinal edge portions 23 of said walls are spaced apart and straddle the sight C. The clamping means 1' is attached to said edge portions 23. Actually, the clamping means provides apair of clamping jaws or grips 24, which fit around the barrel and which have return-bends 25 attached to said edges 23. The clampin members are also provided with ears 26, which are secured together by a thumb-bolt 21. This bolt has a knurled or milled marginal grip for convenient finger operation and is also provided with a screw-driver kerf 28. Thus, the unit 8 is detachably and adjustably mounted on the gun barrel by the clamping means 7. Referring again to the unit 5, it will be seen in Figure 1, that the exterior of the body portion is provided. with ribs 28 and 29 which may be employed as anti-slippingigrips. It follows that said grips expedite the step'of handling the attachment, that is, applying and removing same.

Referring further to the clamping unit 7 it will be seen that the respective-jaws or'grips 2 3i are substantially semi-circular incurvature and embrace diametrically opposite sides oithegun barrel A. The bolted cars 26 are located on the bottom of the barrel and the out turned"b'ends or keys are thus located on the top ofith-e barrel and as a matter of fact on opposite sides of. and parallel to the sight C. By fitting. the

bends? 5" into the'lohgitudinal grooves 29a in the stated edge portions 23 of said walls, the grooves function as key-ways and the bends 25 function as keys fitting. into said-key-ways. Obviously,

withthis'coaction of elements the entire unit- 6 is'both" slidably and d'etachabl mounted on and carried by the clamp unit I. It is also'evident that'when thebolt 27 is tightened in the ears 26, the'ears are drawn together and the keys'25 ri'deoutwardly and away from each other'and are frictionally, bound in the key-Ways. Hence, the grips 24 rock slightly on the barrel andproduce a result in whichthe keys actually function as detents. Conversely, when the bolt 27 is loosened the'retentive forces ofthe'detents serve to loosen sameand to allow the'unit 9' to be shifted on the unit-I freely or'to be entirely detached from said unit I. It follows, therefore, that novelty is predicated'upon the provision of a novel clamping' unit 7 on a gun barrel where the unit serves as'amount'on which the illuminating unit is shiftably and detachably mounted and wherein the keying action between the keys and key-ways is'unique in that the keys have the function of friction retaining detents. g

A* careful consideration of the foregoing description in conjunction with the'inve'ntion as illustr'ated'in'the drawings will enable the reader to obtain" a clear understanding and impression of the alleged features of merit and novelty sufficient'to clarify the construction of theinvention as hereinafter claimed.

Minorchanges in shape, size, materials and rearrangement of parts may be resorted'to in actual practiceso long as no departure is made from'the invention as claimed.

' Having described the invention what i claimed asnew is:

1. In a structure or the class shown and described,- in' combination, a gun'barrel havinga from; sight, clamp means mounted onsaid' barrel adjacent to said sight and including, a pair of grips provided on their upper ends with hooklike terminals providing'k'eys, and an illuminator unit comprising a body, having spaced walls defining an' open 'ended tunnel-like passage onclosing said. sight, said wallshaving grooved edges spaced apart, said grooves forming keywayssaid k'ey's'fitting into the latter and said unit being bodily shiftablei in relation to said keys and sight, a fiashlight'carried by said unit and embodying a flashlight bulb in and abutting the closede'ndportion of said receiver, a. dry cell in said receiver, a coiled spring, interposed between and spacing'said dry cell and bulb, the open end iii portion of said receiver being screw-threaded, and a screw-plug screwed into said receiver and contacting said dry cell, said screw-plug serving to compress said spring and to press the dry cell into contact with said bulb.

2. In an illuminable gun sight of the class shown and described, in combination, a gun barrel having a front sight, a clamping unit detachably mounted onssaid gun barrel within coacting vicinity of said front si'ghtembodying a pair of duplicate opposed grips, said grips having ourvate portions conforming to the coacting curvatures of'th'e 'gun' barrel, said grips being adjustably anddetachably bolted together on the undersideiofsthe barrel and having their upper ends projecting above the barrel and terminating iiilaterally -outturned keys, and a separate illuminator: unit including a source of illumination'and embodying opposed wall portions defining. an open-ended tunnel-like passage in communicati'on with" the' source" of" illumination and'encompassingsaid sight, the edgeportions' of: said wall portions having grooves and" said grooves'constituting keyways; said keys" fittin into said keyways', whereby said illuminator unit is'both detachably andshiftably mounted on said gun barrel.

3. Attachment means 'for illuminating 'arfront sighton a gun barrel comprisingjaclampingata tachmentembodying a pair of duplicate grips, of; general" semi-circular form bent intermediate their ends' to embrace and conform to diamet rically opposite side'portions of a cylindrical gun barrel, the grips at their lower ends being fashioned-into ears, the'grips on their'upp'er' ends being provided with outturned' bends constituting'keys'on'theone hand and retaining: detents on the other hand; and a bolt for ad justably interconnecting said ears, said bolt, when tightened, serving to spread the detent apart and, whenloosened,permitting the detents to swing. toward each other, and a one-piece'molded' plastic il-luminatorunit including a body portion substantiallycylindrical in cross section defining a receiver; the receiver being closed at thefor ward end and internally screw-threaded" and 'openat 'itsrearward end, the forward end p'or' ti'on'being'provided with an aperture for passage of a light beam, said unit further'inclu'ding op-- posed curved side walls defining an open-ended tunneI-likepassage, the free edges'of saidsid'ewalls being in opposed parallelism and grooved to provide keyways' for removable reception'o said keys. ROBERT E; STINSONE REFERENCES -CITED The following: references are of recordin the file 'ofthis patent? UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 333,232 Kopf. Dec, 29, 1885 586,295 Terry: July '13, 1897 807,993 Bassell et al; Dec. 19', 1905 873,591 Penfield 1. Dec. 10, 190.7 880,294 Getchell Feb. 25,1998 1,932,473 Morgan et a1. Oct; 21, 1933 I 2,158,915 Searcy May16, 1939 2,249,690- Gelardin July 15; 1941 2,307,745 1 Lutz et al. Jan. 12, 1943 2,442,893 Henderson June 8, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 190,745' Switzerland May 15, 1937 

